The Lost Sheep

It is a good day to be here this morning. It is the Sunday after Easter. Last week we celebrated the Risen King. Did you know that Easter is not over. Today is the second Sunday of Easter. Our Easter season actually goes all the way to Pentecost.

Every year though it feels like such a push to get ready for Easter and to push through till we are happy with how we present the gospel that day. The day comes it goes and it leads to that day after moment of Ahhh.

I faced that a lot this week. The overwhelming sense of this day has come and gone and now what. Yet like i said it isn’t over there is still work to be done.

It had me thinking about what else was like this. I realized as a football fan this is the day after the Superbowl. Think about it. For fans of Football your team plays all year and you enjoy the game and the big game day comes and goes and then you are at a point that you have to say. Now what. There isn’t a lot to talk about for awhile related to football. Of course you can move on to other sports but for big time football fans its the time between big moments.

Yet the story doesn’t stop it keeps going on. This morning I want us to begin looking at a chapter in the Gospel of Luke. This particular chapter is one of great importance for the Gospel of Luke. It is chapter that is pivotal in understanding the theology and the ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke chapter 15 is also one of my favorite chapters of the entire Bible because of the Parables are just so powerful. Let’s look at the first one of the three found in this great chapter.

Luke 15:1–10 NIV

1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. 8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

After reading this parable we need to ask ourselves this first question.

Who is this Story for?

Now this question is not as simple as it looks. There are actually multiple answers to this one question. For example. If we look at it from the perspective of the actual events of of the story. If we look at it from that perspective the stories that Jesus is sharing are for the the Sinners and the tax collectors, or the marginalized people of the day. We see this in the first verse that Jesus sets the stage.

Luke 15:1 NIV

1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus.

One of the important parts of this audience is the idea that this was a table ministry for Jesus. Jesus often did this he would sit and eat with sinners and tax collectors. He gathered them around the table in a much more personal setting and showed them kindness and care and shared the good news with them. His love was for All. This leads me to another important aspect of

Who is this Story For?

There is a key word in this passage that we need to look at.

Who is this story For?—All

There is something interesting about the way this particular language is translated. The particular Greek word that is used expands the understanding from beyond just all the people present i the room to all people. To anyone who would hear the good news that Jesus was sharing. This opens up our understanding of the passage to beyond just those in the room but to include all humanity. It opens it up to all us to be the audience of the story as well. We are gathered around the table to hear the story that Jesus was telling.

And then we get to the problem of the Pharisees.

The Pharisees Problem

They always seem to be hanging around like a bad rash that just won’t go away. They always appear in the story and are holding people back from the good news.

The pharisees had a problem with Jesus and his openness of eating with the sinners of the world. They liked to grumble about these table events.

Luke 15:2 NIV

2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

The Pharisees in typical fashion liked to complain about the idea that sinners were mixing with Jewish people. This was such a cultural taboo for them. How could Jesus do this.

The Pharisees Problem

The problem with the Pharisees is that they were stuck in their particular point of view. The Pharisees only see the world from the view point that they are the elected group by God. Only they have access, only they are the righteous.

That is the problem with the Pharisees they approach the world from the view of...

Righteous v. Wicked

They only viewed the world from this perspective. They could only see it as they were the righteous because they followed a particular set of rules and attitudes. Only they were special.

I struggled with this idea for awhile when reading this story. I kept going back to this idea of the Righteous v. the Wicked.

The Struggle I kept facing with this idea is that it reminded me too often of the church today. We like to sit back and look at the world and all that is wrong with the world and we cast judgement on it. The problem is too the church grumbles about the people of the world that don’t look or act like us. I admit even I am guilty of this.

Now I think we need to clarify something. This particular attitude i am referring to is approaching the world from an attitude of superiority in our spirituality and faith v. living for God and being confident in who we are in him and being humble in our humanity and our faith. In essence how we show love to the world and maintain that God calls us to more. God calls us to Holiness.

Jesus in this passage is shifting the world view and it is important that we grasp that because we can not find ourselves viewing things like the Pharisees.

Lost v. Found not Righteous v. Wicked

Jesus is shifting the focus and the view of the way we interact with God from the Righteous and the wicked to the Lost v. the found.

We all can find ourselves in one of these two categories. As the story tells us.

Are we one of the 99 or the 1 out in the wilderness. There really isn’t any in between. This is a monumental shift in the focus of the way we understand our relationship with God. IT shifts the relationship. It shifts the dynamic for all humanity.

The Good shepherd goes out and looks for the lost sheep. At some point in our lives we could all probably identify as that lost sheep. Wandering aimlessly away from the herd. Some of us may have though we were enjoying ourselves out and away from the Good Shepherd. Others may have found that they entered into some of the most dangerous places that a sheep could find its self.

The Shepherd is looking

We have the promise though that the shepherd is looking. That he is so concerned about that one sheep out away from the rest that he goes out and looks for it. That is how valuable the Shepherd sees that one sheep. That one sheep needs to be found and brought back.

Now, don’t hear this wrong it isn’t that the shepherd doesn’t love the other 99 but he knows the need of that one is far greater. The other 99 are safe they are in the fold they have been found. It is the one who is missing that he longs for.

Jesus sets the example for us on how we are to live. On how we are to approach life, and to approach ministry.

It’s time to start looking

I am sharing this story with you because I have been praying about this moment for the last 6 months. I have been asking God to show me what the way forward is. How do we move forward as a church and as believers together. The answer lies right here in this passage.

We need to focus on the 1 and less on the 99.

This doesn’t mean that we stop doing things that the church should be doing to help nurture and care for the 99. However, it does mean that much of our focus needs to be helping the 1 become found.

The other important aspect of this story is...

We are all the Shepherd

Too often in the church we look to the pastor to do the work of bringing in the one. I have some news for you. it isn’t my job alone. I am here to help you, equip you, encourage you, and yes to also search for my one. If we think that this church will change only because of the work that the pastor is going to do we are sadly mistaken. It is not the role of the pastor to do all the work alone. Each of you plays an important part of helping the one to be found.

There are many ways that we can help. You can help by giving your time to various ministries. Just yesterday we had a meeting about VBS. A great opportunity for people to help and to share the message of the Gospel with the children of our community. Today after church we are having a meeting about children’s ministry. If you are at all interested in what that might look like please stick around.

This mandate by the way is not limited by age. The truth is we all have a role to play in this church. Young people. We have to start stepping up and leading the charge and finding how we can lead and shape ministry in the day by day. We can’t be guilty of only being consumers as we sometimes do.

Elders. You aren’t done yet. I know many of you have been active in ministry or may be struggling physically or in some other way to help but there is still much you can do. Prayer, teach, mentor, guide, help the youth to lead. Be patient and encouraging. Remember you were once in our shoes and your elders at the time were not so sure about your leadership. Even if you have been serving for years there is still more work to be done and God is calling you to find a way to serve.

The Lost Sheep

We are in a world full of lost sheep. Full of people who are living in sin and do not know God. Who do not have a relationship with him. We have to start looking. we have to start being the church that he has called us to be. This starts in our own community and expands outward from there. How, we do this is still taking shape. What ministries that we take on are still taking shape but there is great work to be done right here at Sylvania church and we need to start living that out. We need to be actively praying for God to show us what he has for us and we need to be open to his leading. We need to trust that he is the good shepherd and he will guide us to that one.

Let’s Pray